Reinhard Mayr was born in Grieskirchen in Upper Austria. He began his vocal training with bass Franz Kalchmair, and continued at the Anton Bruckner Conservatory in Linz. He then transferred to the Music Academy in Basel where he worked with Kurt Widmer, and finally went to Robert Holl at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. It was after his time in Basel that Reinhard Mayr began singing bass roles in the opera house. He started out at the Volksoper in Vienna and soon after made his debut at the Vienna State Opera. Since 2001, he has sung at the opera house in Zurich. Over the years he has enjoyed collaborating with many important conductors, including Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christoph von Dohnányi, Franz Welser-Möst, Sir John Elliot Gardiner, and Fabio Luisi.
Inspired by his vocal professors Kurt Widmer and Robert Holl, bass Reinhard Mayr has also cultivated his passion for recital and lieder singing, something that has occupied him over the years while working as an opera singer. He is especially fond of the sacred works and lieder of Franz Schubert. Mayr has performed concerts and oratorios in many distinguished venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna, London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdan, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berlin Konzerthaus, and Severence Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. Reinhard Mayr has been appearing regularly with Ensemble vocal COLCANTO for over ten years.
